The 13th edition of the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD 2026) Trade Exhibition and Air Show officially kicked off at Air Force Base Waterkloof on Wednesday, placing the City of Tshwane at the centre of global defence diplomacy and aerospace trade.
Running under the theme “Africa’s Gateway to Global Defence and Aerospace Collaboration,” the five-day event has drawn more than 300 international exhibitors, 30 000 trade visitors, and official delegations from over 50 nations to Centurion.
Delivering the opening address, Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga said the biennial exhibition must deliver direct economic benefits rather than remaining a display of military hardware.
Following up on July’s Defence Industry Lekgotla, Motshekga emphasised local manufacturing, sovereign capability, and technical training for young people.
“The systems we see here, from advanced aerospace platforms to unmanned technologies and cyber solutions, are not only tools of defence, they are engines of industrialisation,” she said. “Each breakthrough in aerospace, maritime, and defence technology strengthens our industrial base, creates new opportunities for local manufacturing, and opens pathways for our youth to participate in high-tech industries.”
Welcoming global delegates, City of Tshwane Deputy Executive Mayor Eugene Modise noted that Pretoria is uniquely positioned to host the continent’s premier defence expo due to its rich concentration of research and engineering institutions.
“Tshwane is home to institutions and industries that contribute significantly to South Africa’s aerospace, defence, engineering, research and technological capabilities,” he said.
Modise added that African nations must move from being passive buyers to active creators of modern solutions. “The challenge is to ensure that our continent does not remain merely a consumer of technologies developed elsewhere. The opportunity is to strengthen our own research, innovation, manufacturing, skills and industrial capabilities.”
Both leaders pointed to the vital need to expose local school learners to the hangars. Modise said seeing live aerospace technology can change the trajectory of a young person’s life, opening career paths in science, flight, and engineering for communities that historically lacked access.
The trade and tech exhibition continues through Friday, ahead of the public air show spectacle over the weekend.
